Today we’d like to introduce you to Will McCoy.
Hi Will, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m 35 years old and I’m a father my daughter is 13 years old. I have 3 cats. I love art, video games, and gardening.
I’ve always had a passion for art and education.
When I was younger, I was always pushed away from artistic professions, being told that there is a reason for the term “starving artist”, so in my youth, I tried to go with more practical and safe career choices but nothing ever seemed to fit.
I bounced around from one thing to the next never feeling like I was content in what I was doing, I craved being creative and working with people but I never thought becoming a tattoo artist was really an option.
The industry was really gatekept when I was younger and felt much more closed off to outsiders, it was kind of an intimidating place to try to find a way in.
By some stroke of luck, I heard about my high school friend’s brother had opened a shop and was looking for an apprentice, and that was the opportunity I needed.
I hounded them for months to take me on, and after wearing them down or me growing on them, they gave me a shot. I feel worked harder at that than I had with anything in my life because it was something that lit a fire inside of me, giving me the chance to be something I had always craved and that was to be a professional artist.
I have never looked back, and I can’t say there is anything in this world I would rather do.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Definitely not, in my career, I have had to work hard continuously to grow and make sure that I am offering the best of myself for others. Being an artist is a difficult journey. You have a never-ending stream of self-doubt, anxiety, and feelings of being an imposter.
Like you are not worthy of the position you hold. My solution to this is to keep working harder and harder to prove myself wrong.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
After a few years of tattooing and building relationships with my clients, I learned that artists were unwilling to work with scar tissue or cover scars of any kind. I was told all sorts of horror stories of interactions with artists telling them there was no way to do anything with them and that they would have to live with them.
I took that as a challenge and started using tattooing as a way to help people feel more comfortable in their own skin. I researched scars and the precautions needed to be taken with them and the pre-care that they would need to be properly covered.
Everything from design to application.
Working with people to cover scars from accidents to surgery to self-harm, has helped me grow more as an artist and an empathetic person than I could have ever imagined.
I have heard stories from people from so many different walks of life, I get to see a side of people they rarely show anyone other than a therapist and I feel the work that I do with people is a form of that.
I get great joy every day that I get to work, from the way I get to help people feel to the experiences I get to share with them.
Seeing them smile and laugh and be joyful when looking at areas that once caused them great pain is more than I could have ever asked for in a career, and it makes it so much more.
My clients are my saving grace and the opportunity to make their lives better even slightly is a blessing and I am grateful every day that I get to do what I do, and for the trust that people put in every day.
I love what I do and I love my clients. Without them, I would not have found such a meaningful life.
Every day I get to create art, share laughs, and get to brighten people’s days and I don’t think there is much more I could ask for.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
As an artist, I would say that if you have someone you look up to, try reaching out to them and you’ll be surprised at how many people can actually be down to earth. We are all just people, though some seem otherworldly.
Pricing:
- $150/hour
- Full-day sessions $1100
- Half-day sessions $600
Contact Info:
- Instagram: exzaybache
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/exzaybache/
